HUAWEI U8800 IDEOS X5 Software Upgrade from Android 2.2.1 Froyo to 2.3.5 Gingerbread. Below are the steps I performed. Please read carefully, and kindly understand and remember that there is always the risk of irreparably damaging the phone. Good luck.
1. Using a PC go to
www.huaweidevice.com, (as of Thursday, January 5, 2012) select Support > Downloads > By Category = Mobile Phone, Product Type = Smart Phones, Product Name = HUAWEI U8800 (not HUAWEI IDEOS X5) and download software [Name: U8800 V100R001C00B522G001(Normal)(Gingerbread), Date: 2011-12-28, Size 192.15MB].
2. Extract ZIP file to PC. It contains only 2 items ("U8800 Software Upgrade Guideline.pdf" & "UPDATE.APP"). Please review the PDF thoroughly (2.2.2 is mentioned instead of 2.2.1 which can be misleading/confusing).
3. Information BEFORE upgrade: Settings > About phone > Model number = u8800, Android version = 2.2.1, Build number = U8800V100R001C00B136SP02. My X5 is less than a week old with no modifications such as rooting, custom ROMs, or MicroSD repartitioning.
4. Ensure phone's battery level is sufficient (mine was at 71%). Back up data (for example, export contacts as VCF to the MicroSD card). There's no need to perform "Factory data reset" (to erase data on the phone) since the upgrade process does this.
5. Connect phone to PC using USB cable and "Turn on USB storage". Copy the "dload" folder (containing "UPDATE.APP") from PC to the topmost path (or root directory) of the MicroSD. Make sure to "Safely remove USB Mass Storage Device" from PC, then "Turn off USB storage" and unplug USB cable. Verify using File Manager (path should be "\mnt\sdcard\dload").
6. Shut down phone (Press and hold power key, and select "Power off" from "Phone options").
7. Press and hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power keys to turn on phone (I suggest pressing and holding the volume keys first before pressing and holding the power key). Release all 3 keys when HUAWEI logo & name appears. Phone is now in upgrade mode, and update runs automatically. Battery status indicator LED will slowly flash red during update, and screen will display the following:
- Firmware update, Step 1/2, Unpacking, [Progress Bar], The full update will take approximately 2 minutes. Do not turn off the device.
- Firmware update, Step 2/2, Installing, [Progress Bar], Do not turn off the device.
- Successful completion (Kindly excuse me as I wasn't quick enough to take note of the exact final screen).
8. Once update completes successfully, phone will shutdown automatically. Please note that phone is supposed to restart by itself according to the final screen. In my case, it didn't power on by itself, but it may be different for others. If nothing happens, wait a little longer then manually power on phone. A fancier Huawei startup sequence shows, update resumes and performs some quick internal formatting.
9. Information AFTER upgrade: Settings > About phone > Android version = 2.3.5, Build number = U8800V100R001C00B522G001. Reconfigure your personal settings and welcome to Gingerbread.
Observations/FYI only:
- Video playback has indeed improved just as stated in the PDF file.
- As expected, there are additional OS configuration options available, however, there is still no way disable screen locking and all vibrations out-of-the-box.
- Lastly, only the power key can wake up the screen after timeout, whereas prior to the upgrade you may also use volume up and down keys to wake up the screen. Though this seems insignificant, I find the volume keys conveniently accessible and easier to press compared to the power key, and I would have preferred not to overuse the power key. Oh, well...